Tag Archives: Wildlife

Wildlife. Lots of it.

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If you’re looking for scenery and wildlife, this is it!

Antelope Island State Park, about an hour drive from Salt Lake City, makes for a good day trip. Your drive out there will treat you to an outstanding view of the Great Salt Lake as you cruise along Antelope Island Road, just off I-15. Odd that the drive reminded us of cruising the causeways of South Florida, but in fact nothing could be more opposite.

As you cruise around the Park roads, you’ll notice the wildlife is hard to miss. Although named for the antelope, you’ll probably see more bison. Lots of them.

A simple $10 entrance fee will let you in, then you’re free to explore. Perfect for a cool down on a hot Salt Lake City day. We recommend checking the link below for current Park conditions before visiting.

A UWanderings Reader Shares Her Perspective on Hiking and Dating

A very special thanks to one of our readers, Sally Perkins, who graciously offered her insights into combining hiking and dating. Sally is a professional freelance writer with many years experience across many different areas. She made the move to freelancing from a stressful corporate job and loves the work-life balance it offers her. When not at work, Sally enjoys reading, hiking, spending time with her family, and traveling as much as possible. Sally also writes for Backpackerverse. You can read her other article about prepping for a hike by clicking the link immediately following this article. As she explained to us:

“Whether it’s a first date or a wedding anniversary, hiking can be a wonderfully romantic way to spend time with someone…”

Sally was kind enough to share her thoughts about hiking and dating from a woman’s perspective, and today offers suggestions for those in the Bay Area and SoCal. Pay attention, guys! Since we’ve covered a lot of California lately, and since summer’s around the corner, her contribution couldn’t have come at a better time. Thank you, Sally!

Two Hiking Trails That Know What a Lady Wants—By Sally Perkins

Cute animals, wine, and a romantic hike – it doesn’t take an expert on women to know that these are the elements of a perfect date. With its extraordinary wildlife, vast wineries, and gorgeous scenery, California is the perfect state for a date spot. Here are two different hiking trails in the sunny state that will put you up close with animals, nature, and wine to create the perfect romantic date for any couple.

Freemont Older Open Space Preserve

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A 763-acre open space preserve, Freemont Older is the perfect destination for a romantic hike. With incredible views of the oak studded hillsides of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Freemont Older is home to many native animals such as bobcats, coyotes, deer, and bird species. If these animals aren’t cute enough to make your date say “Aww”, the horses of the park are sure to. The preserve borders the Garrod Farm Stables to give you and your date an up close and personal experience with some of their horses. You can even ride one through the trails if you’d prefer.

Regardless of whether you hike on two feet, or are assisted by a four-legged friend, you will start the trail in the Cooper Garrod Estate Vineyards parking lot and end in the tasting room. The grand finale will have you tasting their wine and even munching on a mini buffet. Wine, horses, food, and romantic views – What more could a girl want?

Malibu Wine Hikes

Located in Malibu, California, just thirty minutes from Los Angeles, you and your date can sign up for a hike through the Malibu Vineyard and Saddlerock Ranch for a day filled with precious animals, breathtaking scenery, delicious wine, and ultimately romance. You can choose between a group hike or a private hike to fit your needs. The 2.5-mile hike is classified as an easy to moderate hike and will take you about two hours to complete. Therefore, you should wear clothing that is comfortable to do a light workout in, and make sure you have proper footwear as closed-toed shoes are mandatory.

Your romantic hiking trip will take you through the Saddlerock Ranch where you can meet the animals that live there. These exotic animals include zebras, camels, alpacas, and bison. You can even meet Hollywood’s retired superstar, Stanley the Giraffe. As part of your hike, you can feed Stanley and maybe even ask for his autograph. After you’ve worked up a sweat on your hike, you will go to the Malibu Wine Tasting Room to taste a flight of five different wines. Grab a spot on the lawn or pull up a chair at a table to enjoy the beautiful wine, weather, and scenery.

From animals to wine, and incredible scenery, these hikes will be sure to have your women falling in love with the area, and ultimately, falling in love with you.

They’re Everywhere

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Special thanks to Allen for sending these pictures along for us to share. We enjoy hearing from our readers, and welcome you to send your travel stories through our Share Your Travels page. Your contributions help make UndiscoveredWanderings possible.

We couldn’t have made this one up if we tried. Then again, we haven’t been to Key West, Florida yet. But who would guess that the place is overrun by rogue chickens?! OK, maybe it’s not that bad, but the local wildlife is definitely offbeat and very much apart of life in Key West. These wild birds roam the streets, hang out in trees, and make their daily rounds through alleyways and gardens, usually looking for–and receiving–handouts (personally, we don’t recommend feeding them). Guess the alarm clock industry isn’t much of a thing in Key West; there’s plenty of roosters who are happy to do the job.

And we thought runaway iguanas were bizarre and a “Florida thing”. Apparently they play with the chickens, too. So if you’re planning a trip to the Keys, be prepared to be welcomed by everyone and everything. They’re quite popular with tourists.

Life in Key West, we hear, is pretty relaxing. The local wildlife agrees.

What can we say? We love animals. So when we encountered these guys during our stay at a 1,700-acre ranch just outside Billings, Montana, we had to say hi to them. These are Nigerian Dwarf goats, whose owner picked them up at the Montana State Fair. If you have the right kind of open range, they make great pets, and they’ll follow you anywhere.

This Saloon’s Been Going for a While

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Saloons are the cornerstone of the Old West. You’ve probably never heard of Genoa, NV unless you’re from there. Only an hour south of Reno, Genoa’s claim to fame is Nevada’s oldest saloon: Genoa Bar and Saloon.

We’re not sharing interior pictures because we don’t want to spoil it for you, but if you want to get an authentic “Wild West” feel while kicking back and enjoying a drink, it’s right here for you. And if you’re lucky enough, you might see some wildlife nearby, like we did.